For this test, I've got two birds again,
Gold'n Plump on the right, mine on the left. Again, one a fair amount plumper, and shorter.
This is the rub that I'll use on both birds. The recipe I'm using - High Temp Roast Butterflied Chicken from
"The New Best Recipe" (If you don't have this book, get it...) calls for flavored butter to be rubbed under the skin on breast and thighs. I'm not doing that, because I'm hoping for cleaner, truer flavors to be evaluated. I'm just seasoning the surface of the skin and the inside of the cavity. I cut the backs away and down the center of the breasts, separating into halves.
I nestled the halves together on a roasting rack. The pinker skin is obvious on store bought bird on the left.
Mmmm. Both look extremely appetizing, although the gold color on the right is clearly visible.
Here are the halves with skin removed. This time my yardbird is on the left. At this point I'm noticing some things I hadn't before. Not only is the fat a deep yellow on the pasture raised bird, but there is substantially more of it. I don't know if most consumers would consider this a positive or negative trait, or if it's typical or simply a matter of my being too generous with the corn this summer. I think the mouth feel and tenderness of the home grown chicken are positively affected by fat under skin and between muscles, but diet conscious consumers may worry. I suppose it's like marbling in red meat - individuals' taste will vary. I find the flavor of richer meat something that warrants a few extra calories. I'm also surprised by the difference in bone length - I didn't expect the home grown bird to be so much longer of leg.
Side by side drumsticks, showing length and color differences. Dark meat is darker in the pasture bird, and while it appears less plump, the amount of meat each leg yielded showed the home grown to have as much or more edible meat.
Finally, a sampling of meat stripped from the carcasses, showing a mixture of thigh, leg, wing and some breast meat. Yellower, darker and more firm, the meat from the home grown bird was the favorite in this test. Tasters called store chicken "boring in comparison", "not as meaty", and "tastes like nothing". A blind test showed even young child tasters able to consistently distinguish which was which, and preferred the home grown meat, with comments running along the lines of "This one is just yummier." and "I can't say why, but I like this one best." This test had it's flaws as well, since my impartial judges had a last minute emergency and weren't available, so I used my family as tasters, but used the blind test to try to compensate for any pre-set notions. I think most diners that appreciate nuances and aren't adverse to dark meat would find the firm chew and richness of flavor that the pasture chicken provides appealing.
Gold'n Plump on the right, mine on the left. Again, one a fair amount plumper, and shorter.
This is the rub that I'll use on both birds. The recipe I'm using - High Temp Roast Butterflied Chicken from "The New Best Recipe" (If you don't have this book, get it...) calls for flavored butter to be rubbed under the skin on breast and thighs. I'm not doing that, because I'm hoping for cleaner, truer flavors to be evaluated. I'm just seasoning the surface of the skin and the inside of the cavity. I cut the backs away and down the center of the breasts, separating into halves.
I nestled the halves together on a roasting rack. The pinker skin is obvious on store bought bird on the left. 
Mmmm. Both look extremely appetizing, although the gold color on the right is clearly visible.
Here are the halves with skin removed. This time my yardbird is on the left. At this point I'm noticing some things I hadn't before. Not only is the fat a deep yellow on the pasture raised bird, but there is substantially more of it. I don't know if most consumers would consider this a positive or negative trait, or if it's typical or simply a matter of my being too generous with the corn this summer. I think the mouth feel and tenderness of the home grown chicken are positively affected by fat under skin and between muscles, but diet conscious consumers may worry. I suppose it's like marbling in red meat - individuals' taste will vary. I find the flavor of richer meat something that warrants a few extra calories. I'm also surprised by the difference in bone length - I didn't expect the home grown bird to be so much longer of leg.
Side by side drumsticks, showing length and color differences. Dark meat is darker in the pasture bird, and while it appears less plump, the amount of meat each leg yielded showed the home grown to have as much or more edible meat. 
Finally, a sampling of meat stripped from the carcasses, showing a mixture of thigh, leg, wing and some breast meat. Yellower, darker and more firm, the meat from the home grown bird was the favorite in this test. Tasters called store chicken "boring in comparison", "not as meaty", and "tastes like nothing". A blind test showed even young child tasters able to consistently distinguish which was which, and preferred the home grown meat, with comments running along the lines of "This one is just yummier." and "I can't say why, but I like this one best." This test had it's flaws as well, since my impartial judges had a last minute emergency and weren't available, so I used my family as tasters, but used the blind test to try to compensate for any pre-set notions. I think most diners that appreciate nuances and aren't adverse to dark meat would find the firm chew and richness of flavor that the pasture chicken provides appealing.
Posts
